Report on Institutional Failures in Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A 2024 legislative audit of Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services (OCS) reveals a systemic failure to implement key reforms mandated by a 2018 law. Despite significant funding increases, the OCS has not improved outcomes for children in state care, demonstrating a critical lapse in institutional accountability. These failures directly undermine progress toward several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Institutional Deficiencies and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The 2018 reform law was designed to create a more effective, accountable, and inclusive child welfare system, in line with the principles of SDG 16. However, the final audit concluded that OCS failed to implement the majority of the law’s requirements, thereby failing its mandate to provide justice and protection for vulnerable children.

• High Caseloads: The law aimed to reduce caseloads to an average of 13 per experienced caseworker. The audit found 70% of caseworkers still exceeded this number, with many handling double or triple the recommended amount.
• Workforce Instability: Despite the authorization of 110 new positions and $20.7 million in additional funding, the OCS continues to suffer from high vacancy and turnover rates.
• Lack of Accountability: The audit serves as a mechanism for accountability, yet the department’s official response disagreed with many of its conclusions, indicating a resistance to reform and a failure to strengthen the institution from within.

Impact on Child Welfare and Core Human Development Goals

The personal account of Deko Harbi, who entered state custody at 16, illustrates the human cost of these institutional failures and their direct opposition to fundamental SDGs.

1. SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Harbi described her state-approved placement as lacking peace and order, leading to significant emotional distress. The failure of OCS to conduct mandatory monthly home visits demonstrates a neglect of the state’s duty to ensure the physical and mental well-being of children in its care.
2. SDG 4 (Quality Education): The chaotic environment of her placement threatened Harbi’s ability to complete her education. She credits her high school graduation to leaving the placement and moving in with a friend’s family, highlighting how systemic instability creates barriers to quality education for foster youth.
3. SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Children in state custody represent a highly vulnerable population. The failure of OCS to provide adequate support, safety, and opportunity perpetuates and deepens the inequalities these children face, denying them the chance for a stable and successful transition to adulthood.

Workforce Management and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The audit revealed that OCS’s management practices are “strongly out of alignment with best practices,” undermining SDG 8, which promotes decent work for all.

• Lowered Hiring Standards: OCS dramatically lowered hiring requirements, moving from a four-year degree in a relevant field to potentially no high school diploma, de-professionalizing a critical role responsible for child safety.
• Insufficient Training: Required training was increased to six weeks but moved to a virtual-only format, which employees reported as insufficient. New hires received inadequate support from overwhelmed supervisors.
• High Turnover: The combination of overwhelming caseloads, poor training, and lack of support contributes to high employee turnover, creating an unstable work environment and compromising the quality of service delivered to families. This cycle prevents the establishment of a stable, professional workforce.

Recommendations and the Path Forward through SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Addressing the crisis within OCS requires a renewed commitment to the original 2018 reforms and a multi-stakeholder approach, as envisioned in SDG 17.

Key Recommendations

• Reinstate Professional Standards: OCS must reverse the decision to lower hiring qualifications and invest in a skilled workforce capable of addressing trauma and complex family needs.
• Enhance Training and Support: A return to robust, in-person training and mentorship is essential to equip caseworkers for the demands of the job and improve retention.
• Strengthen Accountability: The state must use the legislative audit as a tool to enforce compliance with the law and drive meaningful change within the department.
• Foster Community Partnerships: As advocated by experts, greater community involvement is crucial. Promoting opportunities for citizens to become foster parents or mentors through organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters can create a supportive ecosystem around the formal state system, helping to achieve better outcomes for children.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article focuses on the well-being of children in the foster care system. It describes the trauma, stress, and lack of peace experienced by children like Deko Harbi, directly impacting their mental and emotional health. The goal of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) is to ensure the safety and well-being of children, which aligns with this SDG.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The connection to education is highlighted by Deko Harbi’s story. She states that without the intervention of a stable family, she does not believe she would have graduated from high school. This demonstrates how a dysfunctional child welfare system can be a direct barrier to educational attainment for vulnerable youth.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  Children in state custody are a vulnerable group. The article exposes how the failures of the OCS perpetuate and worsen inequalities for these children, denying them the safe and supportive environment that is crucial for their development and future opportunities, which other children may have.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire piece is a critique of a public institution (OCS) and its failure to be effective, accountable, and transparent. It discusses legislation, audits, and the need for institutional reform to protect children’s rights and ensure justice for a vulnerable population.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being. The article details the negative mental health impacts on children in a dysfunctional system, such as Deko Harbi “crying for hours” and the general “trauma” children suffer. The proposed reforms aimed to create a system where children “suffer as little trauma as possible.”

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education. Deko Harbi’s fear that she “would not have graduated” without leaving her OCS placement directly links the stability provided by the child welfare system to the ability of foster youth to complete their secondary education.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age… or other status. The failure of OCS to provide adequate care and support actively hinders the social inclusion and development of children in foster care, a group defined by their “other status.”

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The conditions described by Deko Harbi—a “constantly dirty” home that “smelled horrendous” with “always screaming”—can be classified as neglect, a form of harm that child protection services are meant to end.
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article is a case study of this target. It describes legislation passed to make OCS more effective, the use of audits to ensure accountability, and the institution’s subsequent failure to implement the required reforms, showing a lack of effectiveness and accountability.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for Target 16.2 (End abuse and neglect of children)

   • Frequency of caseworker home visits: The article states that caseworkers are “required to do home visits with kids at their placements every month,” but in Deko Harbi’s case, “they never came.” The rate of completed monthly visits is a direct indicator of institutional oversight to prevent neglect.

2. Indicators for Target 16.6 (Develop effective, accountable institutions)

   • Caseworker caseloads: The law aimed for an average of 13 cases per worker. The audit found “70% of experienced caseworkers still had more than 13 cases.” The average caseload number is a key performance indicator of institutional capacity.
   • Staff vacancy and turnover rates: The article explicitly mentions “high vacancy rates and turnover” as a major problem that leads to “worse outcomes for kids.” These rates are direct indicators of the health and stability of the institution.
   • Staff training standards: The law required increasing training to six weeks. The amount and format (in-person vs. virtual) of training for new hires is an indicator of the institution’s investment in its workforce.
   • Staff hiring requirements: The article notes the lowering of hiring requirements from a four-year college degree to a high school diploma. The educational and experiential qualifications of staff are an indicator of institutional quality.
   • Implementation of legislative mandates and audit recommendations: The audit’s conclusion that OCS “hasn’t implemented most of the law’s requirements” is a primary indicator of the institution’s accountability and responsiveness.

3. Indicators for Target 4.1 (Ensure completion of secondary education)

   • High school graduation rates for foster youth: While not providing a specific number, Deko Harbi’s story implies that the graduation rate of youth within the foster care system is a critical indicator of the system’s success in providing the stability needed for educational achievement.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: alaskapublic.org